Wilderness.org - Senator Murkowskihttp://wilderness.org/taxonomy/term/1953
enIzembek Road - the real factshttp://wilderness.org/update/izembek-road-real-facts
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Mar 26, 2014</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/Izembek%205_0.jpg?itok=cKxRJm08" width="500" height="333" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Black Brant in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>US Fish and Wildlife Service</p>
</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Despite the fact that a final decision has been made by the Department of Interior in regards to a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, a few loud voices have been trying to reposition the debate around inaccurate information.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Proponents of a road through Alaska&rsquo;s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge continue to push Interior Secretary Jewell to strip designated wilderness of its federal protection and unleash the bulldozers.</p>
<p>Congress had already rejected the road once, and then the federal government studied the issue twice and rejected it both times after exhaustive research. &nbsp;American taxpayers have already paid more than $37 million for a solution to meet the town&rsquo;s transportation needs and&nbsp;<strong>now is the time for us to base this conversation on facts.</strong></p>
<p>1.&nbsp;<strong>Is it true that people are dying in airplane crashes because they are forced to take emergency flights via air rather than a road?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>No. No fatalities related to airplane crashes have occurred in King Cove since February, 1990. That means it has been more than 20 years since the last evacuee fatality.&nbsp;</strong>While King Cove does not have a full-time physician, it does have an upgraded medical clinic with telemedicine capabilities, thanks to Congress&rsquo;s 1999 appropriation, that has a total of 17 staff, including a physician&rsquo;s assistant, making King Cove&rsquo;s clinic better equipped to handle medical emergencies than many in Alaska&rsquo;s remote communities, including Cold Bay.&nbsp;</p>
<p>2.&nbsp;<strong>Is it true that building a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a congressionally protected wilderness area, is the best and only means of providing emergency medical services to King Cove? &nbsp;</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>No. Everyone agrees that the community of King Cove &ndash; like all rural communities in Alaska - deserves access to emergency medical care, and that its transportation options should be safe and as convenient as its remote location allows.&nbsp;</strong>For the past 24 years, local residents have been safely transported to Cold Bay&rsquo;s airport in all types of weather during a variety of emergencies. To improve their options and ensure the continuation of that record of safety, decision-makers should be working on developing alternative solutions that meet the needs of local residents while keeping Izembek National Wildlife Refuge intact.</p>
<p>3.&nbsp;<strong>Is it true that The Izembek refuge &ndash; including the federally designated wilderness area &ndash; already contains nearly 70 miles of road built by the U.S. Military during World War II, more than 50 miles of which continue to be used today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the duck hunters who visit the seven privately owned hunting lodges in Cold Bay?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>No. The &ldquo;roads&rdquo; alleged to be within the Izembek NWR Wilderness area do not exist. &nbsp;</strong>While there are 40 miles of roads within the non-Wilderness portions of the refuge, the &ldquo;roads&rdquo; alleged to be within the designated Izembek Wilderness are in fact abandoned WWII two-track trails, and not used or maintained as &ldquo;roads.&rdquo;</p>
<p>4.&nbsp;<strong>Is it true that 4,900 miles of roads have been built through wilderness in the National Wildlife Refuge system nationally?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>No.&nbsp; Congress has NEVER approved the construction of a road ANYWERE within the National Wilderness Preservation System. </strong>Approving the Izembek road would establish a precedent that would not only be unfortunate for other Alaska Wilderness Areas protected by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, but elsewhere with our Wilderness system.&nbsp; Moreover, there are NOT 4,900 miles of roads within the National Wild Refuge System&rsquo;s designated Wilderness areas.</p>
<p>5.&nbsp;<strong>Some are saying the road would really benefit industry, is that true?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>That could very well be true. While critics acknowledge Congress prohibited the road from being used for commercial purposes, they warn it would take only a legislative rider to lift that prohibition once a road is built. &nbsp;</strong>The record shows that in spite of suggestions to the contrary, commercial interests are a major driver for the road proposal:</p>
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 0.65in;">
<p>&nbsp;A 1994 resolution by the town of King Cove called for a road but made no reference to health and safety concerns. Instead, the resolution stated that a road would link North America&rsquo;s largest salmon cannery in King Cove with the airport at Cold Bay, and listed as part of its rationale that the road would have &ldquo;a major, positive socioeconomic impact on both communities.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li style="margin-left: 0.65in;">
<p>In his 1995 State transportation plan, Alaska Governor Tony Knowles expressed support for a &ldquo;20-mile road between King Cove and Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula for transporting salmon to a community with a runway that could handle large planes.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li style="margin-left: 0.65in;">
<p>&nbsp;At a 2010 public meeting, an AEB assemblyman stated that Peter Pan Seafoods would use the road to transport &ldquo;fresh product.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li style="margin-left: 0.65in;">
<p><strong>In 2011, while visiting King Cove, Senator Murkowski stated, &ldquo;The decades-old push to get the road built between King Cove and the Cold Bay Airport so that we can have greater access for transportation is going to be a critical ingredient in that thriving economic future going out for the next 100 years.&quot;</strong></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>6.&nbsp;<strong>Is it true there are no viable alternatives to the road?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>No. There ARE viable alternatives, including three very public ones: </strong></p>
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>
<p>Return the taxpayer-funded hovercraft vessel to King Cove. &nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Upgrade the Coast Guard base at Cold Bay. &nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Provide King Cove with a new vessel for emergency evacuations.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The proposed road would be harmful to the Izembek Refuge and Wilderness and the American public. It would fail to provide the emergency medical transportation desired by the people of King Cove, and it would be extremely costly for taxpayers in a time of great financial strain and many pressing national needs. It is important that we discuss the facts, and not allow misleading information to get in the way.&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 26 Mar 2014 04:00:00 +0000AlexanderSeyb107940 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/update/izembek-road-real-facts#commentsSenate Votes to Protect Communities and Wild Placeshttp://wilderness.org/press-release/senate-votes-protect-communities-and-wild-places
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-release-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2010-06-10T01:00:00-04:00">Jun 10, 2010</span></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <h3>The Wilderness Society applauds rejection of resolution to limit EPA regulation of greenhouse gases</h3>
<p>The Wilderness Society President William H. Meadows issued the following statement in response to the vote on Sen. Murkowski&rsquo;s resolution to remove the EPA&rsquo;s authority to regulate greenhouse gases.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Today a majority of the Senate decided to move forwards in the fight to reduce the carbon pollution that threatens our communities and wild places. We simply can no longer live with the free dumping of harmful pollution into the atmosphere. The unregulated pumping of carbon into the atmosphere must be brought under control so that our children and grandchildren do not face massive disruptions to water resources, air quality, and ecosystems that will endanger their public health. In just the past 30 years, Glacier National Park has lost a third of its iconic glaciers to a warming climate &ndash; and impacts like this will be felt more often and more acutely unless we reduce carbon emissions.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We urge the Senate to act quickly on passing a comprehensive climate and energy bill that reduces dangerous carbon emissions, provides the means to protect our communities and natural resources, and helps develop clean, renewable energy sources.<br />&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:10:12 +0000103293 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/press-release/senate-votes-protect-communities-and-wild-places#commentsMurkowski "Dirty Air Act" goes down, 53-47http://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-dirty-air-act-goes-down-53-47
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jun 11, 2010</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/bios/staff/neil-shader">Neil Shader</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/pollution-Power-Plant-EPA_0.jpg?itok=1cMfNIx1" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>By a vote of 53-47, the Senate today rejected a resolution to gut the Clean Air Act, and strip the Environmental Protection Agency&rsquo;s ability to regulate the greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change.</p>
<p>This vote is an important first step to addressing the larger climate change question in the Senate &mdash; and sets the stage for a comprehensive climate and energy bill that provides protection for wild places and encourages clean, renewable energy.&nbsp; TWS&nbsp;members and supporters led the charge for public lands, sending&nbsp;more than&nbsp;75,000&nbsp;messages to their Senators, encouraging them to vote down the resolution.</p>
<p>America&rsquo;s wildlands are threatened by the changing climate. Limiting the amount of climate-change-causing greenhouse gases is the first step to protecting these treasured and iconic landscapes for future generations.</p>
<p><a href="../../../../../../content/pr-wilderness-20100610">See the official response from The Wilderness Society President Bill Meadows</a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: smaller;">photo:</span></strong><span style="font-size: smaller;"> Power plant pollution. Courtesy EPA.</span></p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:37:03 +0000103296 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-dirty-air-act-goes-down-53-47#commentsKeep the greenhouse gas blowout preventer - Lose the "Dirty Air Act" http://wilderness.org/blog/keep-greenhouse-gas-blowout-preventer-lose-dirty-air-act
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jun 9, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>The oil that continues to gush from seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico is a grim reminder of what our addiction to oil is costing us. Lost jobs in the fishing industry, lost protection of coastal marshes and the wildlife they harbor, and a lost way of life for thousands of Americans along the Gulf coast all result from the dogged pursuit of a fuel source that pollutes our coasts, and our communities, our water, and our air.</p>
<p>Some in Congress feel that this fossil fuel addiction is not only acceptable, but should be promoted and accelerated. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) is scheduled to force a vote in the Senate that would <a href="/content/murkowski-resolution-would-leave-greenhouse-gusher-uncapped ">strip the Environmental Protection Agency </a>of its ability to regulate greenhouse gases, like those from the burning of oil and oil products. Some estimates show that this resolution could increase domestic oil consumption by hundreds of millions of barrels of oil. This is like offering a carton of Marlboros to patient suffering from lung disease.</p>
<p>The Environmental Protection Agency is currently the only &ldquo;blowout preventer&rdquo; we have for greenhouse gas pollution. Without it, there would be nothing preventing tons of carbon pollution from entering our atmosphere, worsening the changing climate that is leaving permanent scars across our forests, beaches, and communities.</p>
<p>However, as we have seen in the Gulf, blowout preventers aren&rsquo;t the only solution. That is why it is critical that in addition to stopping Murkowski&rsquo;s resolution, the Senate needs to take up and vote on a comprehensive climate and energy bill. By addressing climate change now we can restore our environment, save money and <a href="/content/green-jobs-include-more-you-might-think ">create jobs </a>in the process.</p>
<p>Our treasured places are already feeling the effects of a warming world. Glacier National Park has already lost a third of its iconic glaciers. The Everglades are already subject to sea-level rise from the warming ocean. Our public lands deserve better. Tragic tales like this will become more and more common as climate change gets worse.</p>
<p>The Senate must act immediately. First, it must vote down Sen. Murkowski&rsquo;s <a href="/content/murkowski-what-turns-would-be-climate-champ-fossil-fuel-crony">&ldquo;Dirty Air Act&rdquo;</a>. Second, it must pass a comprehensive climate and energy bill that decreases the amount of carbon going into the atmosphere. We can create jobs, improve the health of air and water, and lead the world in clean, green energy by passing a climate bill. We can do it by looking forward toward clean energy, not backwards towards oil.</p>
<p>The disaster in the Gulf has shown that our country desperately needs a better energy path &ndash; it&rsquo;s time to wean ourselves off dirty fuels, not increase our dependence on them.<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>This piece was originally published in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">the Huffington Post</a></em></p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:47:19 +0000103288 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/keep-greenhouse-gas-blowout-preventer-lose-dirty-air-act#commentsMurkowski resolution would leave the greenhouse gusher uncappedhttp://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-resolution-would-leave-greenhouse-gusher-uncapped
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jun 7, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/Care2_Senator_Lisa_Murkowski.jpg?itok=9nXvfrfJ" alt="" title="Senator Murkowski" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Senator Murkowski</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has announced that as soon as the Senate returns from the Memorial Day break she will force a vote on a resolution to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from capping global warming pollution. That&rsquo;s odd. As the public is waiting to see how the government will respond to the most massive oil spill in our history, an oozing killer that is turning Louisiana&rsquo;s state bird, the brown pelican, into the black pelican, it appears that Murkowski is asking for more of the same.</p>
<p>The disaster in the Gulf has reminded everyone of the folly of deregulating as the risks of catastrophe rise. But Murkowski &mdash; and her 41 colleagues who have co-sponsored her proposal &mdash; want to make the first vote on climate in the Senate this year to be one that allows more pollution.By pushing this proposal forward, it is as if she has concluded that there is not enough carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just announced that this April was the warmest month on record. Does she think it&rsquo;s not warm enough?</p>
<p>Glacier National Park in Montana has lost one-third of its iconic glaciers. Does she think they are melting too slowly?</p>
<p>Native villages in her home state of Alaska are falling into the sea because there is no longer a sea-ice buffer to protect them from strong storms. Does she want to increase the number of destroyed native villages?</p>
<p>The public is now confronted with a moment of deep environmental awakening. In contrast, the Murkowski coalition seems to be in a business-as-usual trance still favoring protections for Big Oil&rsquo;s bottom line rather than the American people.</p>
<p>It is time to cap the Greenhouse Gas Gusher that is fouling our atmosphere just like the Deepwater Horizon gusher is fouling the shores of the Gulf. The agency has proposed to cap the gusher using the Clean Air Act &mdash; the only approach currently authorized. The public health and welfare depends on it.</p>
<p>So let us hope that the Senator from Alaska comes to her senses. The problem is not the EPA trying to protect the public &mdash; it is the emissions catastrophe that will harm us all if we let it continue uncapped.</p>
<p>Right now, the closest thing we have to a climate blowout preventer is the EPA. Let it work.</p>
<p><em>This piece was originally published in </em><a target="_blank" href="http://rollcall.com"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline">Roll Call</span></em></a></p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:04:28 +0000103285 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-resolution-would-leave-greenhouse-gusher-uncapped#commentsHelp us Say NO to Murkowski’s Big Oil Bailouthttp://wilderness.org/blog/help-us-say-no-murkowski%E2%80%99s-big-oil-bailout
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 19, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/Deepwater-Horizon-Fire-uscglantareapa-Flickr.jpg?itok=6guP4AgR" alt="" title="Deepwater Horizon fire. Photo by uscglantareapa, Flickr." /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Deepwater Horizon fire. Photo by uscglantareapa, Flickr.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Can you believe it? While still awash in their own negligence and mismanagement, the Big Oil companies are backing Senate action that amounts to nothing less than a bailout for this dirty industry. The Senate may soon vote to exempt Big Oil from regulation when just the opposite is needed!</p>
<p><a href="http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/murkowski_resolution"><strong>We need your help telling the Senate to VOTE NO on Senator Murkowski&rsquo;s Big Oil Bailout.</strong></a></p>
<p>As oil continues to pour into the Gulf of Mexico and new images of oil-soaked animals hit our screens almost every hour, Senator Murkowski (R-AK) is poised to bring her Big Oil Bailout to a vote within days. Her resolution would essentially void the 2007 Supreme Court decision authorizing EPA to begin regulating polluters, such as refineries processing oil or utilities burning coal. It would guarantee that we give a free pass to polluters who are dumping &ndash; everyday &ndash; their harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as if it were garbage into a river. Meanwhile, the renewable energy transition is delayed, deferred and derailed.</p>
<p>When I was 14 my father piled us all into the family station wagon for a camping trip out west. A highlight of that trip was three days in camping in the presence of the glaciers in Glacier National Park. Sadly, my grandchildren will not have the same have opportunity. One third of the glaciers in the park have disappeared in the last 50 years, and experts say the rest will be gone by 2030. </p>
<p>In 1904 President Roosevelt created the Breton Island Federal Bird Reservation where the Mississippi spills into the Gulf of Mexico. The birds using the neighboring islands as breeding grounds were threatened by poachers out for the feathers, and eggs of the birds, so Roosevelt armed a warden to keep the poachers at bay. Today, the threatened devastation to the bird population of this island comes not from poachers but from polluters. A century of foresighted conservation is now threatened by corporate negligence and an addiction to oil.</p>
<p>The Senate vote on the Murkowski resolution is a chance for the Senate to take a stand against, instead of laying down for, Big Oil. Tell the Senate to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Stand up for Breton Island and say no to BP.</li>
<li>Stand up for the right of future generations to enjoy our protected wildlands and say no to global warming pollution.</li>
<li>Stand up for a renewable energy future which is long overdue.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/murkowski_resolution">Tell your Senators to reject the Murkowski resolution.</a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: smaller;">photo:</span></strong><span style="font-size: smaller;"> Deepwater Horizon fire. Photo by uscglantareapa, Flickr.</span></p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 19 May 2010 20:39:01 +0000103226 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/help-us-say-no-murkowski%E2%80%99s-big-oil-bailout#commentsMurkowski offering a murky deal for our airhttp://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-offering-murky-deal-our-air
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Mar 4, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/leous_16.jpg?itok=LDVjhNiQ" alt="" title="J.P. Leous" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>J.P. Leous</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>A few weeks ago I discussed a <a href="murkowski-what-turns-would-be-climate-champ-fossil-fuel-crony">pending threat from Sen. Murkowski</a>, and it looks like time is short. As you&rsquo;ll recall, this should-be/ would-be climate champ is leading the charge to prevent the EPA from moving ahead on climate action. This is especially disconcerting, considering her home state of Alaska is feeling and will continue to feel the impacts of climate change far more than most places &mdash; just ask folks in Shishmaref and other towns falling into the sea!</p>
<p>Merely by introducing her resolution she has diverted energy and resources from meeting the challenge of our generation to arguing that EPA should be left alone to follow the science and the mandates of the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, 90 million tons of global warming pollution pour into our skies every day and our economy remains sidelined while countries like India and China speed ahead toward clean energy economies.</p>
<p>By now you must be thinking: &ldquo;JP, surely Sen. Murkowski just wants to buy the Senate some time to tackle climate change, and that&rsquo;s why she wants to prevent the EPA from moving ahead.&rdquo; I wish it were that easy.</p>
<p>Make no mistake, Sen. Murkowski intends to force a vote that would upend a Supreme Court decision, block sound science, gut the Clean Air Act, and prevent American businesses from moving stridently toward clean energy investments.</p>
<p>Make no mistake, EPA Administrator Jackson, in a letter to Sen. Rockefeller just last week and in testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, detailed the limited scope EPA carbon pollution regulations would have on the US economy.</p>
<p>Make no mistake, Sen. Murkowski has not balanced her zeal to prevent meaningful and long-overdue action by the EPA with similar dedication to passing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation. She hasn&rsquo;t even introduced a bill.</p>
<p>As early as next week we expect Sen. Murkowski to move forward with her Dirty Air Act &mdash; and it&rsquo;s now time for you to get engaged.</p>
<p>If you have not already done so, sign up for our electronic <a href="http://action.wilderness.org/wilderness/join.tcl" target="_blank">WildAlerts</a> and become part of the army of wilderness advocates who are fighting to head off this dangerous resolution and head up the passage of an effective clean energy jobs and climate bill. And if you are willing to pick up the phone, call your Senator now. We need your voice saying NO to the Murky Dirty Air Act and YES to the passage of a strong clean energy and climate bill.</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:23:41 +0000102979 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-offering-murky-deal-our-air#commentsMurkowski: What turns a would-be climate champ into a fossil fuel backer?http://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-what-turns-would-be-climate-champ-fossil-fuel-backer
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jan 15, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/LisaMurkowski.jpg?itok=DhPLFsHp" alt="" title="Senator Murkowski" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Senator Murkowski</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Remember &ldquo;Connect the Dots&rdquo;? Those pages of seemingly random points that, when connected properly, formed a picture? Well, I&rsquo;ve been reminded of this game while watching the Murkowski &ldquo;Dirty Air Act&rdquo; episode unfold.</p>
<p>Considering Sen. Murkowski is from Alaska, where the <a href="climatologist-who-came-cold">impacts of climate change</a> are <a href="seafood-enthusiasts-news-global-warming-alaska">dramatic and costly</a>, one might think she&rsquo;d be at the forefront of the Senate&rsquo;s efforts to reduce carbon pollution. She&rsquo;s even acknowledged the very real impacts of climate change on her constituents, saying &ldquo;My home state of Alaska literally has villages falling into the ocean.&rdquo; As the ranking member of the Senate&rsquo;s Environment and Natural Resources committee, she&rsquo;s certainly in a key political position to put America on a clean energy course.</p>
<p>Connect these dots and you might expect to find a picture of a true climate champ&hellip;but that&rsquo;s not the whole story.</p>
<p><img height="223" alt="J.P. Leous" width="225" src="/sites/default/files/legacy/userfiles/leous(2).jpg" />According to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00026050&amp;cycle=2010">OpenSecrets.org</a> Sen. Murkowski has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from polluting companies, and some of her biggest campaign contributors in recent years include firms with fossil-fueled motives like Exxon Mobil Corp. Add those dots into the mix and a different picture emerges &mdash; and it starts to look like a person who is poised to introduce legislation next week attacking the Clean Air Act.</p>
<p>As early as Jan. 20 Sen. Murkowski is looking to spearhead efforts to delay the real action we need for America&rsquo;s economy and health. Rather than returning from recess ready to help pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that creates jobs and protects our communities and natural resources from global warming, the Senator is expected to lead a full frontal assault against long-overdue and much-needed climate action.</p>
<p>Right about now you must be saying: &ldquo;This is horrible, JP &mdash; but what can I do about it?&rdquo; I respond with: &ldquo;Connect the dots.&rdquo;</p>
<p>You now know about this serious threat to our health and economy (Dot 1). You have access to an <a target="_blank" href="http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/cleanairact?src=hp">alert</a> calling on your senators to reject any attempts to delay unlocking America&rsquo;s clean energy potential (Dot 2). Add to these points: sharing this alert with your friends and family, writing a letter to your newspaper about this issue, calling your senators to drive home your concern &mdash; and all of a sudden we have a picture of democracy that works for people and the planet, rather than just polluters.</p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:42:50 +0000102799 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/murkowski-what-turns-would-be-climate-champ-fossil-fuel-backer#commentsLimiting Global Warming Pollution: Help us protect the Clean Air Acthttp://wilderness.org/blog/limiting-global-warming-pollution-help-us-protect-clean-air-act
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jan 14, 2010</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/bios/staff/laura-bailey">Laura Bailey</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/pollution-Power-Plant-EPA.jpg?itok=p4fsKhu3" alt="" title="Power plant pollution. Courtesy EPA." /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Power plant pollution. Courtesy EPA.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>One of our country&rsquo;s most successful and long-running health and environmental laws is under attack and the Wilderness Society wants you to know what you can do to help protect it</p>
<p>First some background: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/">The Clean Air Act</a>, which defines the EPA&rsquo;s responsibilities for protecting air quality, has been protecting the public from unchecked, dangerous pollution for nearly 40 years.</p>
<p>However, at a time when the nation is trying to move forward on limiting pollution, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is planning to introduce an amendment that would strip the Clean Air Act of its powers &mdash; blocking job-creating and public health benefits, and letting the nation&rsquo;s biggest polluters off the hook.</p>
<p>Specifically, Murkowski&rsquo;s legislation would limit the EPA from regulating global warming pollutants, despite the fact that the EPA has found such pollutants to endanger public health. Essentially, with Murkowski&rsquo;s amendment, the nation&rsquo;s biggest polluters, such as coal-fired power plants would be exempt from the Act.</p>
<p>It was in December that the EPA released an <a target="_blank" href="http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html">endangerment finding</a> determining that greenhouse gases threaten the public health and welfare of the public. Now, the agency is rightfully preparing rules that curtail such emissions.</p>
<p>However, Murkowski is opposed to the EPA doing its job to protect public health &mdash; even though the Supreme Court has in fact ruled that the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to determine whether global warming pollutants are a danger to public health and welfare and limit emissions accordingly.</p>
<p>This amendment would not only take the teeth out of the Clean Air Act, but it would undermine President Obama&rsquo;s efforts to chart a clean energy course for America.</p>
<p>Murkowski&rsquo;s amendment will most likely be considered for a vote during this session of Congress.</p>
<p>What you can do to help is this: Contact your senator today and urge them to vote NO on this dangerous amendment. Need help? <a target="_blank" href="http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/cleanairact?src=hp">Click here.</a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: smaller">photo:</span></strong><span style="font-size: smaller"> Power plant pollution. Courtesy EPA.</span></p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:44:17 +0000102792 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/limiting-global-warming-pollution-help-us-protect-clean-air-act#commentsDirectional drilling: Just another ploy to drill the Arctic Refugehttp://wilderness.org/blog/directional-drilling-just-another-ploy-drill-arctic-refuge
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Aug 5, 2009</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>In their push to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development, Alaska&rsquo;s Congressional delegation, it seems, will try just about anything. Last month, Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced legislation that would allow directional drilling into the refuge, a plan she claims would have no surface impacts. In this <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ktva.com/ci_12967537">television news story</a> from Anchorage, The Wilderness Society&rsquo;s Alaska Regional Director Eleanor Huffines explains why this isn&rsquo;t so.</p>
<p>Although the U.S. Senate Energy Committee voted against Murkowski&rsquo;s directional drilling plan last month, Alaska&rsquo;s senior Senator and her pro-drilling colleagues are likely to take up the issue again when Congress returns from its August recess.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.ktva.com/video?bcpid=14146689001&amp;bclid=1632695727&amp;bctid=31784529001">Click here</a> for the second piece in this television news series.</p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:51:38 +0000102145 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/directional-drilling-just-another-ploy-drill-arctic-refuge#comments